When In Doubt, Break Into Song
by Project Deathstar
Summary: After moving from Midgar to Destiny Islands, Sora wanted to make his senior year the best of his young life. He did not expect, however, to fall in love with Kairi, the girl with as many talents as secrets. As he goes through the year trying to win her over and make new friends, he begins to find things worth fighting for... and singing for as well.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1: Welcome to Destiny Academy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own any of the songs I use in this story. For this chapter, I do not own: **

**Prologue from Les Miserables**

**One Jump Ahead from Aladdin**

Sora was wondering why this had to happen to him of all people.

Moving to Destiny Islands from Midgar was not how he wanted to start his senior year of high school. For starters, he won't know anybody, and he's already had a reputation for being shy at his old school, so making new friends will be hard enough. Also, Destiny Islands was known to be one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the world, so no doubt the beaches will be crowded all the time, never allowing him to have private walks to himself like he wanted. Plus, the thought of being surrounded by beautiful women in swimsuits that won't give him a second glance while he drools over them made him all the more disgruntled.

At least he was finishing high school in the best one on the island: Destiny Academy.

Part of the agreement Sora made with his parents upon moving was that he would choose the school he wanted to go to on his own. His parents, not short on money, agreed. He poured through the catalogs on his final night in Midgar, and immediately decided on Destiny Academy. Sora had wanted to become a writer for some time now, and he figured that this would be the best place for him to go to help him learn how to accomplish his goal, due to its esteemed fine arts program. He even started writing a memoir based on his high school experiences as practice.

There was only one problem.

He didn't have very many high school experiences. He mostly spent high school either studying or doing solitary activities such as video games, reading, writing, and watching movies. So, he made a personal vow to have senior year to be the year he goes out with a bang.

And oh boy, would he. For little does our protagonist know, his story won't be any regular story. His story, will be a MUSICAL!

...Not High School Musical though, that one sucks.

Just think of it as a combination of Moulin Rouge, Les Mis, various Disney movies, and possibly other rock songs, some well-known, some obscure.

Anyway, our story begins with Sora arriving to his new school. As he got out of his car and walked from the parking lot to the building, he looked around and watched as the students bustled and laughed as they interacted with eachother. Keeping to himself and tugging at his school uniform tie, he turned his attention to a group of boys in front of the school yard pushing a broken down car with all their might, and one boy with absurdly blue hair shouting at them to keep going. Sora tilted his head in confusion, wondering what was going on. His curiosity was answered though, when the group started to sing.

_"Look down, look down, don't look him in the eye!" _

_"Look down, look down, you're here until you die!" _

Sora raised an eyebrow. That sounded a little overdramatic. But the singing was something he found too interesting to walk away from. Plus, the group wasn't half bad. So he stood there, watching as one boy cried out.

_"The sun, is strong! It's hot as hell below!" _

The rest responded as such, _"Look down, look down, there's two hours to go." _

_"I've done no wrong," _one belted. _"Sweet Jesus hear my prayer!" _

_"Look down, look down, sweet Jesus doesn't care!" _

Was this some kind of detention? Judging from the students' expressions, Sora had to say yes.

_"I know she'll wait! I'll know that she'll be true!" _

_"Look down, look down, they all forgotten you!" _

Sora snorted. The kid must've had a planned meeting with a girlfriend or something and this... detention got in the way.

_"When I get free, you won't see me, here for dust!" _

A slight pause filled the air. Then, the person overseeing the group spoke.

"Alright, quit stalling! I want that car in the school auto shop before first period ends! I'll be sure to write passes to your teachers explaining where you've been, and don't think of running, because I have people watching!"

Sora shrugged and made his way across the yard to the school front door, when a singing voice stopped him.

_"You there, student 24601!" _

Sora burrowed his eyebrows as he turned to see the blue haired person managing the detention facing him. As he got closer, Sora began to take in his facial features. He had an x-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose, a permanent glare in his vicious golden eyes, and a scowl plastered onto his face. It was at this moment Sora realized the boy was a student. Must've been a class rep or something.

"What did you call me?" Sora asked quizzically.

"I have a mental record as to the approximate number of students in this school," the student explained, without singing. "My mind has registered you as the twenty four thousand, six hundred and first student to enter these premises."

"...Okay," Sora said as he proceeded to head towards the door. The student proceeded to stop him again, however. He started singing again.

_"You stepped on the grass when you arrived. You know what that means?" _

Sora figured he might as well play along. _"No, I just got here." _

_"It means you get this yellow slip of reprimand. I'll let you off with a warning, but don't you test me boy." _

The student proceeded to hand Sora said yellow slip, who snatched it reluctantly.

_"I am a new student," _Sora continued to sing. _"I moved here from Midgar. I didn't know-" _

_"Well, now you do, so I hope you learn the meaning of the law." _

"The law?" Sora scoffed. _"I highly doubt not stepping on grass counts as the law." _

The student glared at Sora. _"That kind of attitude, will get you into trouble one day. Yes 24601." _

_"My name is Sora Fair." _

_"And I'm Saix. Do not forget my name. Do not forget me, 24601." _

Sora rolled his eyes as he continued towards the front door. As he was about to open it, he heard the last lyrics the detention group let out:

_"Look down, look down, you'll always be a slave. Look down, look down, you're standing in your grave." _

Slightly perturbed by the ominous sound of that last line, Sora quickly shut the front door behind him and walked into the halls.

Once in the hallway, Sora looked around to see students walking up and down, in packs or by themselves. All were wearing the required school uniform: white shirt, tie, navy blue blazer and slacks for the boys, and white blouses, ties and skirts for the girls. Sora pulled out his schedule to check which of his classes he had first.

"Great," he muttered. "Calculus. Just what I needed."

He folded his schedule back up and began searching for his classroom. Locating it on the second floor, he opened the door.

**Ring! Ring!**

Sora ignored the bell as he walked in the class, but he was stopped by the teacher.

"You're tardy," the teacher said. "Go to the attendance office to get a slip."

Sora chuckled in disbelief. "It was right when I came in though."

The teacher continued to glare at him. "If you're not in the class before the bell rings, it counts as a tardy."

"But I'm new here," Sora protested. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Not my problem," the teacher dismissed. "Now go."

Sora grumbled under his breath as he went back out the door.

After he got his pass, the rest of his calculus class was spent with the teacher continuously glaring at him. Relieved when the bell rang, he got to his next class as quick as he could before the bell could ring. This time, his class was Astronomy. This class was better, since he was actually interested in the origins of and the myths behind the various constellations. The teacher was also much more lenient, not giving them homework on the first day and let the students listen to music and talk at the end of class, Sora choosing to do the former.

The next class was English, which Sora was excited about since he knew that was something he was good at. He was surprised when the teacher hasn't entered yet, but he was even more surprised when the teacher actually _did_ enter.

The teacher had ruffled brown hair, with a scar running along his face, and a rather casual outfit consisting of a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and unbuttoned at the top, black slacks and black shoes. Truth be told, he looked more like a model than a teacher.

Sora proceeded to groan when he realized that the girls in his class will instantly start gushing about the teacher and make annoying attempts to impress him.

"My name is Mr. Leonhart," the teacher started. "Well, actually that's my father's name. You all can call me Leon."

He proceeded to write his name on the board.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking," Leon said with a smirk. "You're all sick of us trying to cram literary classics down your throats and forcing you to overanalyze your reading. Reading used to actually be fun, right?"

Some of the class murmured in agreement. The girls were simply staring at Leon in awe, while Sora scratched his chin in thought.

"Well, lucky for you guys, the English teachers here are allowed to have separate curriculums from each other, so this semester, I'm going to have you guys read books that other teachers won't normally do."

Leon then walked over to his desk and pulled a box from underneath it. He heaved it onto the desk and opened it.

"The first book we will read is called _A Clockwork Orange_. Who here has heard of it?"

Sora was the only one who raised his hand. He read the book numerous times and has seen the movie, and was happy to actually put what he read and learned from it to good use.

Leon clicked his tongue. "Really, people? So far the new guy is my favorite student. Sora, I presume?"

Sora lowered his hand and slowly nodded, weary of the students looking at him.

"Well, Sora, can you give us a basic synopsis of the novel?"

Sora shrugged and spoke up.

"It's basically about a delinquent in a dystopian future who is forced to undergo a procedure that removes all of his violent urges and how he copes with the aftermath. The book raises the question as to whether it is worth sacrificing a human's freewill in order to rid the person of evil, and whether forcing someone to be good is better than choosing to be good."

"Well said Sora," Leon grinned. "Though I think 'delinquent' is a bit of an understatement. And the rest of you will see why when you start reading."

After a basic explanation of Nadsat, the fictional slang the book is written in, the class proceeded to read the first chapter. Leon would stop them at various points in the reading for discussion, and Sora was rather impressed with how the students responded and the opinions they voiced about Alex and his actions.

"This must be a pretty horrible future if kids are allowed to pillage and rape every night."

"With all the violence in the media these days, maybe we'll become desensitized enough to act like this ourselves."

"When I have kids, they better not do this kind of crap."

Before Sora knew it, the bell rang signifying that it was time for lunch.

"Hey, Sora, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Sora was about to head out the door when he heard Leon's beckon. He shrugged and waited until the class was empty except for him and Leon.

"Where'd you move from?" Leon asked casually.

"Midgar," Sora answered.

"Really? I always wanted to go to a big city."

Sora chuckled. "Well, Midgar is the biggest of them all."

Leon nodded. "How are you liking your first day here so far?"

"It's different," Sora answered. "I've never really been to a private school before, so I'm not really used to everything around here yet."

"Well, if you ever need anything, let me know."

Sora smiled. "Thanks, Leon."

He then walked out the door.

When Sora got to the lunch room, he had no clue where to sit. All of the students here were unfamiliar to him, and there was only one person here who Sora actually knew, but he hasn't seen him the whole day.

"Sora!"

Until that moment, that is.

Sora turned just in time for a boy with spiky blond hair run right into him. Catching himself in time, Sora merely grinned at his accidental attacker.

"Roxas," he greeted. "Clumsy as ever, I see."

"Can't talk now cuz," Roxas panted. "We need to bolt."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"There he is!"

Roxas yelped as he turned to see a trio of students coming towards him. The lead one had was blond and had, you guessed it, a scar running along his face, his navy jacket more of a long coat than a blazer. The cronies that flanked him looked equally tough, with the one on the left sporting a deep tan and the one on the right a girl with one of her eyes hidden by a bang from her silver hair.

"Give us back our stuff, Strife, and no one gets hurt!" the leader shouted.

Roxas grinned. "You have to catch me first!"

Roxas proceeded to pull Sora by the arm and run as fast as he could out of the cafeteria, not paying attention to the stares the two were receiving.

Sora rolled his eyes. "I see you still have yet to recover from your kleptomania."

"I wouldn't call it kleptomania," Roxas shrugged. "Just a fun pastime to get things that I need but Seifer and the other jocks don't need."

The cousins turned the corner, only to face the aforementioned Seifer and his gang, with a savage grin etched to his face.

"Doesn't seem like it's worth it," Sora noted.

"Sure it is," Roxas countered. "As long as you keep…"

The music started up again.

"_One jump, ahead of the breadline," _

The tan guy proceeded to lunge at Roxas, who jumped out of the way.

"_One swing, ahead of the fist," _

The girl threw a punch that Roxas also dodged. The duo proceeded to run further from the trio.

"_I steal only what I can't afford." _

Sora rolled his eyes. "That's everything."

Roxas ignored him. He looked behind to see the thugs still chasing them.

"_One jump, ahead of the assholes. That's all and that's no joke." _

Roxas shrugged. _"__These guys don't appreciate I'm broke." _

It seemed as though everywhere Sora and Roxas turned, Seifer and his friends were waiting for them.

"Stop thief!"

"Get him!"

"You're gonna get it now, y'know?"

"_Just a little snack guys?" _Roxas sang apologetically.

"_Rip him open, take it back, guys!" _

Roxas shrugged at Sora. _"__I can take a hint, gotta face the facts, Sora can you cover for me?" _

"What?"

Roxas then ran ahead, leaving Sora with a glaring Seifer and co.

"Heheh," Sora chuckled. "I just moved here so… care to introduce yourselves?"

"The name's Seifer," the blond kid growled. "And this here is Fuu,"

He pointed to the girl.

"And Rai."

He pointed to the tan boy.

"We're the Destiny Academy Disciplinary Committee," Seifer explained with a nasty grin. "And we deal out the necessary punishments for people who cross us like Roxas."

This stirred Sora's memory of his arrival. "You wouldn't happen to be working with a kid named Saix, right?"

The three shuddered at the mention of that name.

"…Not officially," Seifer muttered nervously.

"It's better if he remains unaware of us, y'know," Rai added.

"Scary," Fuu stated.

Before any of them could remember why they were there, a stream of water hit the Disciplinary Committee and knocked them over. Sora turned to see Roxas holding what looked to be an orange and green water minigun.

"You didn't think I'd just leave you here, did ya?" Roxas grinned.

"Could've fooled me," Sora countered wryly.

The two continued to run throughout the hallways, with their pursuers getting up and continuing the chase.

The singing started again.

"_One jump, ahead of the hoofbeats," _

"_Asshole!"_

"_One hop, ahead of the hump," _

"_Bastard!" _

"_One trip, ahead of disaster," _

"_Y'know!" _

"_They're quick, but I'm much faster," _

"_Slow down!" _

The cousins proceeded to stop in front of a dumbwaiter between the lockers. Roxas then opened it.

"_Here goes, better throw my hand in, wish me happy landin', all you gotta do is…" _

It took a few seconds for Sora to realize he was being pushed down the dumbwaiter, protesting and screaming in shock along the way, with Roxas following suit.

"_Juuuuuuuummmmmppppp!" _

**A/N: A musical high school AU fic! Watch as I subject the Kingdom Hearts characters to random musical numbers involving songs from better and non-fanfiction media. Mwahahahahahahaha! **

**Also, this fic will replace High School Never Ends, since I felt like I couldn't get anywhere with that one and that this one will be more fun to write. Just add it to the schedule of my other ten thousand (5) stories. **

**Reviews are welcome. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Guy Talk and First Impressions

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the songs I use in this story. The songs I don't own in this chapter are: **

**High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup**

**Hot for Teacher by Van Halen **

**The World is Not Enough by Garbage**

**You Know My Name by Chris Cornell**

Sora, still falling down the dumbwaiter, was currently wondering how much longer he'd be falling. His question was answered when he landed on a soft mattress conveniently set up in front of the exit hole that Sora came out of.

"Ahh," he sighed in relief. Sora proceeded to stretch out his limbs across the mattress and closed his eyes. He figured he could use this opportunity to rest after a long first day of school.

That is, until his cousin landed right on top of him.

"Ow…" Sora muttered.

"Oops, sorry man," Roxas chuckled as he got off his cousin. "Though you have to admit that was pretty fun."

Sora stood up from the mattress and dusted himself off.

"I guess," he said. "Where are we?"

"School basement. This is where me and my friends go during lunch. Come on, I'll take you to meet them."

As Roxas began to guide Sora through the dark and somewhat damp basement, Sora decided to ask the question that was burning inside of him ever since he arrived.

"How come people are always breaking into song?"

Roxas turned to Sora with a raised brow. "What?"

"When I got here, a group of kids were singing during a detention and you sang when you stole from whatshisname, Seifer."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

Roxas just chuckled. "Ok, whatever. You always had the biggest imagination when we were kids. I guess some things never change."

Before Sora could retort, Roxas stopped in front of a door along the basement hallway and stepped in, with Sora following.

Inside was a dimly lit room, with a round, wooden table at dead center. Sitting at the table were a boy with long, silver hair that went down to his neck, and a boy with spiky red hair that reminded Sora a bit of a porcupine. On the table between them were two bags that looked to be from a fast food restaurant.

The redhead looked up. "Did you get it?"

Roxas grinned as he shrugged off his backpack and unzipped it.

"I encountered a little trouble at first, but Seifer and his idiot followers are easy enough to outrun."

He pulled out of the backpack various different snacks, ranging from green Twizzlers to Pringles, a couple of Gatorade bottles, and even a yellow Nerf pistol. All of them were lined up on the table.

"Man, the jocks always get a good hull," the silver haired boy said wistfully. "Dibs on the Nerf gun!"

The redhead shrugged. "Oh well, then I get the Twizzlers."

It was then that the boys seemed to just notice Sora was there.

"That the cousin you mentioned?"

"Sora, these are friends of mine," Roxas said.

He pointed to the silver haired boy. "That's Riku."

He then pointed to the porcupine redhead. "And that's Axel."

Sora nodded.

"Come on man, don't be shy," Riku said with a welcoming grin. "We even got you a burger along with Roxas. Dig in."

Sora smiled in return. "Thanks."

After the cousins claimed the Gatorade bottles and opened up the bags to eat, Sora found himself besieged by constant questions that he had to answer quickly to keep up.

"Where are you from?"

"Midgar."

"What's it like there?"

"Polluted."

"Is there a girl back there?"

"I wish."

"Guys, guys," Roxas interrupted. "Give him some air."

"Well forgive us for wanting to get to know our new friend," Axel chuckled.

Sora was slightly taken aback that these guys considered him a friend so soon after meeting him, but in a good way. It felt good to know that there were people he could search for and talk to between classes, and that he wouldn't have to be on his own for lunch.

"So what's with the stolen gift basket?" Sora asked conversationally as he took a bite out of his burger.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "The Blitzball and Struggle players here always get gift baskets when a game or match approaches."

"So I take it the first one is coming soon?"

"Friday."

"Struggle or Blitzball?"

"Stuggle."

Sora started to feel safe asking more and more questions. "So why steal a basket?"

"How many high school movies have you seen?" Riku asked.

"Unfortunately, so many it's hard to remember which are the good ones," Sora answered.

"Well, for some ungodly reason," Axel explained. "This school is plagued by every known high school cliché known to man. That includes the jerk jock."

"We figure stealing the gift baskets they don't deserve is a good comeuppance," Roxas added.

Sora laughed. "Normal high schools don't have clichés like this. Or at least my old one didn't."

"Sure they do," Riku said. "You just have to notice it."

"It's sad," Roxas sighed dramatically. "How many of these people tend to think of high school as what the rest of our lives will be like."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"Allow us to explain," Axel grinned.

The three of them pulled Sora up from the table and led him out of the basement and into the hallways. To Sora's mixture of amusement and annoyance, music started up again and his new friends started to sing.

"_Four years, you think for sure," _Axel sang. _"That's all you have to endure." _

"_All the total dicks, _Riku sang, pointing to a group of guys shouting obnoxious things at passersby.

"_All the stuck up chicks," _Roxas added as he stared at a group of girls passing by him without a glance. _"So superficial, so immature." _

Axel got out four scrolls and tossed them to his friends, Sora included.

"_Then when, you graduate, you take a look around and say," _

"_Hey Wait!" _The three sung in unison.

"_This is the same as where I just came from," _Axel continued, lighting his scroll aflame with a lighter.

"_I thought it was over," _Riku sang regretfully, tossing his over his shoulder.

"_Aw, that's just great," _Roxas sang, facepalming himself.

The three then dragged Sora through the halls (dropping his scroll in the process), pointing out various characteristics of the various students.

"_The whole damn world is just as obsessed, with who's the best dressed," _

Sora shrugged at that one since everyone was wearing a uniform.

"_And who's having sex," _

Sora raised an eyebrow as he caught a glimpse of a boy and girl suggestively making out against the lockers.

"_Who's got the money," _

A kid can be seen giving a couple of hundreds to another, looking around to make sure they're not being watched.

"_Who gets the honeys," _

A boy with a cocksure grin has his arms around two girls, who seem to be giggling at everything he said.

"_Who's kind of cute," _

(Were those girls winking at me?), Sora thought, as they passed a group of girls that seemed to be eyeing Sora in interest.

"_And who's just a mess." _

"_And you still don't have the right look," _Riku sang as he moved a bang from his eyes.

"_And you don't have the right friends," _Axel sang with a mischievous grin as Roxas and Riku glared at him.

"_Nothing changes but the faces, names and trends," _Roxas continued.

"_High School Never Ends." _

Sora chuckled as he thought about how true that seemed.

"So yeah, that's basically how high school practically ruins our lives afterwards," Roxas said.

"The people may change, but the concepts stay the same," Riku agreed.

"If you want proof, just look at celebrity news," Axel grinned while holding out a magazine to Sora.

Sora took it and flipped through the pages.

"_Check out the popular kids." _

"_You'll never guess what Jessica did." _

"_How did Mary Kate lose all that weight?" _

"_And Katie had a baby so I guess Tom's straight." _

Sora added his own five cents. _"And the only thing that matters, is climbing up the social ladder. Still care about your hair and the car you drive, doesn't matter if you're sixteen or thirty-five." _

"Now you get it!" Roxas exclaimed.

Everyone joined in on the chorus.

"_The whole damn world is just as obsessed, _

_With who's the best dressed and who's having sex. _

_Who's got the money, who gets the honeys, _

_Who's kinda cute and who's just a mess."_

"_And I still don't have the right look," _Riku sang sarcastically.

"_And I still have the same three friends," _Axel sang.

"_And we'll pretty much be the same as we are right now," _Sora and Roxas sang.

Everyone then struck a pose.

"_High School Never Ends."_

The bell then rang. Students that were in the halls were now making their way to their classes, muttering and talking amongst themselves as if nothing transpired. Sora merely looked around and shrugged, figuring that no one besides him will ever acknowledge these musical numbers.

"So what class do you have next?" Riku asked Sora.

Sora checked his schedule. "Theatre Arts."

"Really?" Roxas said excitedly. "That's awesome! We all have that class too!"

Sora grinned. Finally, he had people he could call friends in the same class as him.

Axel chuckled. "Just wait, you'll have a blast."

So the quartet walked through the halls onward to their final class of the day. As Roxas, Riku, and Axel explained what they usually do in Theatre, Sora listened intently. He had taken Theatre at his old school, therefore allowing him to take the advanced class with his new friends, but also wished to learn about the different productions that this school has to offer, especially if he wanted to audition for a good part.

However, as Sora was listening, he accidently walked a little farther of the group, and felt himself slam into someone as a result.

"Hey, watch it asshole!"

Sora rubbed the back of his head as he faced the student he bumped into.

It was a boy. A boy that had greyish silver hair hanging in front of his eyes, which were currently locked in a cold glare at Sora.

"Sorry," Sora mumbled.

"Sorry?" the boy mocked. "Don't you know who I am?"

"No, Zexion, he doesn't," Axel said coldly. "He's new here, give him a break."

The boy, Zexion, smirked. "Is that so?"

He then grabbed Sora by the collar of his shirt.

"Well then, newbie, I'll let you off with a warning. But next time you do something like this…"

"I said I was sorry, alright," Sora said as he jerked away from Zexion. "I bumped into you. So what? That kind of shit happens all the time."

"Is there a problem here?"

Sora glanced down the hall, causing Zexion to turn to see who was approaching.

"Saix," Sora greeted.

Saix made his way to the group and gave Sora a curt nod.

"24601," Saix greeted in return. "I hope you're staying out of trouble."

"Still referring to new students by numbers, Saix?" Axel asked casually.

Saix shrugged. "It comes with being the class representative. It's easier to remember who's who and helps me keep track of the troublemakers that wish to make names for themselves. Only when they did something worth punishing do I refer to them by name."

"Man, Saix," Riku whistled. "You're the biggest hardass I've ever met."

Saix glared. "You know, I haven't forgotten that incident involving your rendition of _Sweet Transvestite _interrupting the school broadcast last year, _Riku_."

Sora couldn't help but laugh at that.

Riku grinned. "The chicks liked it."

Saix rolled his eyes. "Indeed."

He then turned to Zexion.

"As for you," he said venomously. "I don't care if your father is the head of the school board. One of these days, I will get you for something, Zexion."

Zexion smirked. "I'll be waiting."

He then walked off, rudely shoving Sora in the process. Saix, however, glared after him and proceeded to head down the hall on the left.

"His dad runs the school board?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Roxas groaned. "So of course, he uses that to his complete advantage. Whether it be getting out of trouble or having a rule in the handbook be changed because it's inconvenient to him, all he has to do is run to daddy and snap,"

He proceeded to do just that.

"One threat of mass unemployment later, Zexion gets his wish."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Can he really do that?"

Axel shrugged. "Only if we lived in a world where his father didn't run the most lucrative corporation on the island, therefore giving him the ability to bribe and cheat to get what he and his son want, can he _not_ do it."

After making sure he got all the exposition spewed at him, Sora had only one more question.

"What business _is _his father in?"

"Plastics," Roxas said.

A momentary silence followed.

"…What?"

"Plastics," Roxas repeated. "You know."

"No, no I don't," Sora said slowly.

Roxas shrugged. "Oh well, let's just get to class."

So the four of them continued to make their way to their fourth period Theatre Arts class. Once they stopped outside the door to the classroom, Roxas, Riku, and Axel all turned to Sora.

"What's up?" Sora asked.

"Fair bit of warning," Roxas said. "About the teacher."

"Why, is it a bad one?"

"Only in my dreams," Riku said with a smirk.

Sora's expression became confused. "I don't follow."

"She's fuckin' hot," Axel said bluntly.

Sora's eyes widened. "Oooooohhhhhh. Oh."

"Yeah," Roxas grinned.

"Just letting you know it's easy to get distracted by her," Riku explained. "Most of the male students in our class got it bad for her."

"_Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad," _Axel sang. _"I'm hot for teacher." _

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sora said quickly. He really didn't want a musical number about student/teacher fantasies at this moment, or any moment really.

The four friends entered the classroom, and Sora froze. He in fact did see something beautiful, but it wasn't the teacher. No, the teacher wasn't even in the room yet.

It was a fellow student. A female student, to be exact.

"Hey guys. I see you brought a new face."

Sora was too absorbed by the girl's features to notice anything else around him. Her most noticeable one was her red hair, slightly darker than Axel's and definitely tamer, reaching only her neck, yet also wavy and smelt of strawberries. Her eyes were a close second in terms of most distinguished features. It seemed as if they were in a constant flux between indigo and blue, and also were filled with a warm, comforting light, that would be able to reassure anyone regarding their worst fears. And her face. Sora was convinced that only angels should have faces like that. Her face was oval-like, yet delicate and smooth, one that a person can stare at for days without wanting to see something else.

"Sora."

Sora whipped his head around. "Huh?"

Roxas grinned. "I just wanted to introduce you to Kairi."

Sora realized that was the girl's name. "Oh, uh, hi. I'm Sora."

Stupid, he thought. She already heard Roxas say your name.

Kairi however, smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Sora."

She extended a petite hand to Sora, who shook it, trying his best not to make it seem awkward.

"I'm actually really glad you're in this class," Kairi said. "We've been rather short on boys for the past couple of years, so it's good that now we have an even number. We tend to cast girls in male roles if they exceed the amount of boys we have, but now we might not have to."

Sora smiled. "Well that's good."

"There's a seat open next to me, if you want to sit there for when class starts," she said cheerfully.

Sora glanced over to where she indicated. Along the left wall, there was a large mirror where Sora could see reflections of himself, Kairi, Roxas, Riku, and Axel, and in front of it, there were three rows of bright red theater seats.

"Okay, sure," he said.

So he followed Kairi over to where her seat was, on the front row, and sat in the seat next to it, with his three friends in the seats to his right. They were all giving him proud, encouraging looks.

Just as the bell rang, the teacher entered the classroom.

"Hey guys, welcome to another year in Theatre Arts!"

Roxas, Riku and Axel weren't kidding when they said the teacher was hot.

She already fit the bill with the long legs, nice bust, toned stomach, and the form fitting black pants/white blouse combo, but the short blue hair added so much hotness to the hotness factor that it caused the hotness scale to explode.

"Hey, Miss Holland," Riku greeted. "How was your summer?"

"Riku, I told you guys you could call me Aqua for the past three years," the teacher said with a smile.

Riku shrugged. "I know, but it's still more respectful to address you professionally."

"Fair enough," Aqua conceded. "Anyways, I had a very good summer. You want to know why?"

Sora's eyes darted to Miss Holland's left hand, which was now bearing a shining ring.

Roxas, Riku, and Axel, noticed it too, along with the other boys in the class.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Axel cried.

Aqua rolled her eyes. "That's not the general reaction a woman expects when she alludes to being engaged."

"I'm just joking," Axel chuckled, though Sora could tell he somewhat wasn't. "Terra's a lucky guy."

The teacher beamed. "Thank you."

She then took note of Sora's presence.

"Oh, hello," she greeted. "You must be the new student. Sora Fair, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sora confirmed.

"Well, Sora, care to tell us a little about yourself?"

Sora shrugged. "There's not really much to tell. I grew up in the city with a loving mom, dad, and sister, then my dad got a job here on Destiny Islands, so we moved. And here I am."

"Do you have any interesting talents or hobbies?"

Sora felt himself turn red as he shuffled in his seat.

"Not really," he muttered.

"He can sing."

Sora looked over at Roxas.

"Come on, man, I've heard you loads of times whenever you visited," Roxas continued. "You're actually pretty damn good."

"You two know each other?" Aqua asked with interest.

"I'm his cousin," Sora said.

"Well, why don't you sing something?" Kairi urged excitedly.

"Kairi, you know it's not good to put singers on the spot like that," Aqua chastised.

"Okay, then how about I sing something," Kairi suggested. "That way you'll be more relaxed and encouraged."

Sora smiled. "Okay."

The other students proceeded to clap wildly as Kairi got up. She must have really been good. Music started up in the background, though this time it was slow and more orchestral than the previous song, and more akin to the first two.

"_I know how to hurt  
I know how to heal  
I know what to show  
And what to conceal," _

Sora was mesmerized. She really was good. Kairi managed to hit the chord (literally and figuratively), in keeping in tune with her seductive voice. Sora was sure that most professional singers had nothing on this girl.

"_I know when to talk  
And I know when to touch  
No-one ever die from wanting to much" _

There was a slight pause. Then, with a sly smile, she started approaching Sora.

"_The world is not enough  
But it is such a perfect place to start...my love"_

Once in front of Sora, she lightly caressed Sora's cheek in a playful manner. Sora couldn't help but feel a spasm go down his spine as the light hand drew away from him.

"_And if you're strong enough  
Together we can take the world apart...my love" _

Sora smiled as he stood, feeling the courage flowing through him to sing along with his own song. The background music changed to a more brass based accompaniment.

"_If you take a life, do you know what you give? _

_Odds are you won't like what it is_

_When the storm arrives _

_Would you be seen with me_

_By the merciless eyes I've deceived? _

Sora winked as Kairi stared at him in amazement, obviously impressed with his sudden boldness.

"_I've seen angels fall from blinding heights_

_But you yourself are nothing so divine_

_Just next in line" _

Then, the choruses from the two songs intertwined, with Sora and Kairi's voices resonating off of each other.

"_The world is not enough_

_Arm yourself because no one else here will save you_

_But it is such a perfect place to start…my love_

_The odds will betray you _

_And if you're strong enough_

_And I will replace you_

_Together we can take the world apart… my love _

_You can't deny the prize it may never fulfil you" _

The two stare into each other's eyes.

"_It longs to kill you," _Sora sang, slowly and softly.

"_Are you willing to die?" _Kairi sang, equally slow and soft.

"_The coldest blood runs through my veins," _they sang in unison. _"You know my name." _

The class applauded loudly.

"Awesome!" Roxas shouted.

"Way to go!" Riku cheered.

Axel cat called.

Kairi smiled at Sora.

"Wow," she said, almost breathlessly. "Good is too small of a word to even describe your singing."

"Thanks," Sora said. "The same can be said for you."

He was beginning to think he will like this school.

**A/N: Just letting you guys know, if you want to see a song used in this fic as a musical number, you can always drop a review with the song title and why it's good to use. Of course, regular reviews are just as equally welcome also **

**Huh. An actual smiley face. I didn't know Word can do that. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Kick-Start

**AFinaLR3play10: I only really alter the lyrics of songs when the original lyrics need to be updated to match modern times or if the situation calls for it. Other than that, I use unaltered songs that fit the moments in the story and define the characters :) **

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other songs used in this story. For this chapter, I do not own: **

**I've Just Seen a Face by The Beatles**

**When You're Evil by Voltaire **

Sora couldn't help but chuckle as he parked his silver sedan in front of his new house, right behind the slightly newer looking white car. Of course she would be there first.

He got out of his car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He opened the mailbox and continued walking to the door as he sorted through the various bills, ads, and college recommendations. He fumbled with his keychain a little before finally opening the door, and making his way to the kitchen, where he found his slightly younger sister, Xion, munching on a Sea Salt Ice Cream bar.

"You know, it would save money and be better for the environment if you just rode with me to school this morning and every day after."

Xion shrugged. "What's the point of me enjoying my new car if I don't use it? Plus, now you don't have to worry about me constantly messing with your radio stations."

"That is a plus," Sora agreed as he raided the fridge for a liter bottle of root beer.

"My first day of school was fine, thanks for asking," Xion said with a playful smile. "What about yours? I wasn't able to find you between classes and during lunch."

Sora shrugged as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with ice. "Other than being given a warning for stepping on the grass and forced to get a tardy when setting foot in my first period class right as the bell rang, I'd say it went well."

"Did you make any friends?"

Sora nodded as he filled his glass with root beer. He then took a sip and wiped his mouth.

"I found Roxas and met some of his friends during lunch," he said. "And they welcomed me with open arms."

"Lucky," Xion pouted. "You managed to find the only family friend we have at that school while I spent lunch with complete strangers."

Sora never understood why Xion preferred calling Roxas a family friend, while he calls him his cousin. Sure, they weren't technically related, their parents were just really good friends with each other, but they practically grew up together, and even when Roxas and his family moved to Destiny Islands five years before the Fairs did, they still came back to visit a lot. Blood wasn't the only thing that made someone family. Sora was sure that Xion thought the same thing, but "family friend" just didn't roll off the tongue as good as "cousin".

"Well, yeah," Sora said. "But that's generally how one makes friends in unfamiliar settings."

"Fair point," Xion conceded. "Anything else happen?"

Sora's thoughts immediately strayed to Kairi. The luscious red hair, the gorgeous indigo eyes, the soft looking lips…

Xion studied Sora and grinned knowingly. "Any girls catch your eye?"

Sora looked alarmed. "What? No, we just moved here!"

"Oh my gosh!" Xion squealed excitedly. "You're totally crushing! What's her name? What's she like? Is she pretty? Did you talk to her?"

Sora quickly drained his drink and grabbed his backpack. "I'll be up in my room if you need me."

He ran up the stairs as Xion began to rapid fire more questions. Once he reached the safety of his room, he closed the door and plopped down on his bed.

Sora grinned. He had to admit, he accomplished quite a lot today in the social department. He's gained a teacher as a friend, met Roxas again, made friends with Riku and Axel, plus other kids in his Theater class…

And he gained a new crush.

Sora shook his head at that. Crush? No one said anything about a crush. Sure, he thought Kairi was pretty, beautiful even, but he couldn't have a crush on her. He just met her. He didn't believe in love at first sight, he just thought it was a tired cliché used to avoid showing the actual time it takes to show how a relationship forms.

But Sora also noted that there was a heavy difference between love and infatuation. Infatuation at first sight was way more plausible. It would certainly explain why Sora's mind keeps going back to Kairi.

Sora grinned again as he remembered a song that goes well with these feelings, and began to sing along with the recently started up music.

"_I've just seen a face, I can't forget the time or place where we just met, she's just the girl for me, and I want all the world to see we've met. __Mmm-mmm-mmm-m'mmm-mmm__." _

Sora sat up on his bed. _"Had it been another day, I might've looked the other way, and I'd have never been aware but as it is I'll dream of her tonight, di-di-di-di'n'di." _

He jumped off the bed and made his way to the window.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

He thought of his interactions with Kairi during class, what they talked about, how they sang together as a step to bring Sora out of his shell.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

What did he mean by falling? Sora had no idea, but he knew it had to do with his growing attraction to Kairi. Or his excitedness that this was the first girl he was attracted to that he could actually talk to, remembering all his other crushes from his previous school:

"_I have never known, the like of this I've been alone, and I have missed things and kept out of sight, but other girls were never quite like this, da-da-n'da-da'n'da." _

He burst out of his room and into the upstairs hallway.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

He started to play an imaginary guitar.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

He made his way to the railing overlooking the entryway, and leaned on it, still strumming the invisible guitar.

"_I've just seen a face, I can't forget the time or place where we just met, she's just the girl for me, and I want all the world to see we've met. __Mmm-mmm-mmm-m'mmm-mmm__." _

Sora then made his way down the stairs, doing a duck walk as he went.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

He jumped from the remaining step onto the rug before the front door.

"_Falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

Sora then proceeded to kick off his shoes and slide across the wooden floor leading to the living room, his back to the kitchen.

"_Oh, falling, yes I am falling, and she keeps calling me back again." _

As he finished singing and the music faded, he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Sora turned towards the kitchen, where he saw Xion, his mother Aerith, and his father Zack, all behind the kitchen island, giving him curious glances.

"Um… hey Mom, Dad," Sora said to break the ice. "When did you guys get here?"

"About two minutes ago," his mom said.

"Right when you decided it would be a good time to break into song," his father added.

Sora felt slightly embarrassed by the amused looks of his parents and sister.

"So," Xion said brightly. "Who is this girl you're falling for and keeps calling you back again?"

"Boy, am I starving," Sora said, eager to change the subject. "What do you guys think sounds best for dinner?"

After a while, Sora finished the little homework he received and was now sitting on his bed, laptop on his, well, lap. He decided that the day's events would make a good first chapter for his memoir. After finishing the chapter, he began considering what title to give it. However, his mind drew a blank, so he decided to sleep on it.

The next morning, Sora met with Roxas in front of the school and walked around with him before the first classes started.

"So what do you think of this place so far?" Roxas asked.

Sora rolled his eyes. "You're seriously the fourth or fifth person to ask me that in the span of twenty four hours."

"I meant the islands in general," Roxas chuckled.

Sora grinned. "Well, I would say it's like I'm on permanent vacation, except that's marred by the fact that we still have to go to school."

"Just wait until you see the major sights," Roxas said excitedly. "This weekend, you have to hang out with me and the guys, we go all around the islands-"

Sora froze in the hall.

"…Sora?" Roxas asked uncertainly.

Roxas turned his head in Sora's direction, and understood what vexed him. Kairi was leaning against the lockers, talking with a couple of her friends.

"Oh, I get it," Roxas said slyly.

"What can you tell me about her?"

Roxas shrugged. "Well, she's likeable, among the top of our class, hot, basically every guy's dream girl."

"I meant about her history," Sora explained.

Roxas snorted. "What do I look like, your personal exposition fairy? I don't know _everything_ about her."

"But you're her friend," Sora deadpanned.

Roxas rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but she's still rather secretive. I mean, I know what she likes and doesn't like, but she doesn't share much about her personal life. She shows up to parties and hangs out with lots of people, but she keeps them at a distance."

Sora felt he could relate, with him being shy and all. "Is she dating anyone?"

"No. She had one boyfriend before, but they're history."

"Interesting," Sora murmured

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You thinking of asking her out?"

"Why did you say that like I shouldn't?"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't," Roxas defended. "But it's already difficult enough for guys to ask her out, especially ones she only met a day ago."

Sora took that into consideration. Plus, he knew from experience that there was a distinct difference between thinking about asking someone out and actually doing it. In the past, he formulated ideas and plans to ask out girls he liked, only to become tongue-tied at the last minute, and then have no choice but to watch as the girl goes out with someone else.

Still, Sora had a feeling that Kairi was different.

"Okay, how about this," Sora said, clasping his hands together, pointer fingers touching his chin. "I try to become friends with her, and spend a couple of months hanging out with her in a platonic way. Then, once she feels comfortable around me and vice-versa, I can see whether my current feelings vanish, are the same, or strengthened by then, and then act on them."

Roxas gave his cousin a thoughtful look. "That could work. It's not rushed, and that way she can get to know you better and see whether you're worth opening up to."

He smiled. "Okay, I'll help push you two together."

His smile changed into a look of warning.

"But remember: She's a good friend of mine. If you do anything to-"

"Roxas, you know I wouldn't," Sora assured.

Roxas nodded. "I know. But still."

Sora stared at Roxas. He was beginning to think he knew more about Kairi than he was letting on. Whatever it was, he respected Roxas enough not to press him for more info.

Roxas' smile returned as he waved to Kairi. "Hey!"

Kairi looked over and waved back.

"Hey, Roxas! And Sora! Good to see you again."

She remembered my name, Sora thought excitedly.

The boys made their way over to Kairi, whose friends she was talking to previously walking off after saying goodbye.

"So, how goes it Sora?" Kairi asked.

Sora shrugged. "Good. Still getting used to the time change."

"Oh right," Kairi said as she opened her locker. "It's evening in Midgar right now, right?"

"Yeah," Sora confirmed.

"Have you been to any of the beaches yet?" Kairi was shuffling through the items in her locker.

"Not yet."

"I was actually thinking of taking him to one of the beaches with Riku and Axel this weekend," Roxas said. "You can come with us if you like. Heck, bring some of your friends if you want. The more the merrier."

Sora entertained the thought of Kairi in a bikini, then noticed a poster on the inside of Kairi's locker door.

"You listen to Brand New?" Sora asked.

Kairi looked back at the poster. "Yeah, it's one of my favorites."

"Mine too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I listen to a lot of Indie and old rock," Sora shrugged. "And film scores."

Kairi looked excited at this. "Really? Thank God, I feel like I'm the only one in this school who listens to **good** music."

"Well then, I guess you're glad to have met me, right?" Sora said with a playful grin.

"Beyond belief," Kairi replied with the same grin.

"Hey there, Kairi."

The three of them turned in the direction of the voice.

"Oh. It's just you Zexion," Kairi sighed.

Zexion smirked. "You look good today. Did you do something different with your uniform?"

"No, I didn't," Kairi dismissed with an annoyed tone. "It's the same as every other girl in this school."

"Well you certainly fill it out better than most," Zexion said, his eyes slowly trailing downward.

"Piss off, rich boy," Roxas said defiantly.

Zexion ignored Roxas. He then noticed Sora.

"Hey, you're the runt who bumped into me yesterday."

Sora scoffed. "Runt? You're almost as short as I am."

Zexion glared. "You know, I don't think I ever got your name."

"Sora."

"Well, Sara-"

"Sora."

"Whatever," Zexion dismissed. "I'm going to repeat my warning from yesterday: Don't cross me, and I won't make your life a living hell."

He then smirked at Kairi. "I'll see you later then."

"Hopefully not," Kairi grumbled.

Zexion's smirk vanished as he walked back off into the busy halls.

"I take it you're one of the many people who doesn't like this guy," Sora said to Kairi.

Kairi shrugged. "Pretty much. I can't believe I ever dated that tool."

Sora almost fell over hearing that. Kairi didn't notice, and smiled at him and Roxas.

"Well, see you two in Theatre Arts," she said cheerfully.

As she walked off, Sora slapped Roxas in the back of the head.

"Ow," Roxas groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"For not mentioning that Kairi's previous boyfriend was that jerkoff."

Roxas shrugged. "I didn't think it was important."

Sora then rubbed his chin in thought. "Has anyone ever pranked him before?"

"Are you kidding me?" Roxas asked incredulously. "Nobody's ever had the balls to prank him."

Sora smirked. "Well luckily enough, I do have those balls."

**Later, after school…**

"I still think this is a bad idea," Roxas muttered.

"You've been saying that for the past ten minutes," Axel said.

"That's because it's true," Roxas argued.

The four of them were in a secluded corner of the library, free from the watchful eyes of the librarian and anyone else who could interfere with their scheme.

"How much longer?" Riku asked Sora, who was crouched next to a wooden chair at a wooden round table. He was squeezing a tube of rubber cement all around the seat, making a circular pattern as he went.

"I want to be sure there's enough to keep him stuck," Sora replied.

He then stopped squeezing the tube, cutting off the flow of the glue and admiring his handy work.

"That should be good."

He then turned to Axel. "Are you sure this is where he sits in the library?"

Axel nodded. "Every day after school, he comes in here at the same time, sits in the same seat, and reads the same book. He's not the kind to break away from routine easily."

Sora grinned. "Perfect."

"Have you ever actually done anything like this before?" Roxas asked with a sort of edge in his voice.

Sora chuckled nervously. "Not really. This is actually my first prank."

Axel whistled. "Man, Zexy must really piss you off if you come up with something like this for your first prank."

"He's coming!" Riku whispered.

The four scattered to a couple of bookshelves down from the table, close enough to see what happens, but far enough to keep out of sight.

Zexion yawned, and pulled out the sticky chair without even bothering to inspect it. He sat down in it, opened a rather large, brown book and started to read.

It seemed like an hour passed before anything happened, to the point where Riku had to nudge everyone to alert them to Zexion closing his book. He pushed himself out to get up, but as he tried to stand, he found that he could not get his posterior off the seat.

"What the hell?" they heard him say.

Zexion struggled to get up from the chair. He jumped up and down, the chair jumping with him, wriggling and twisting in frustration.

A sudden thought occurred to Roxas. "How did he not feel the rubber cement sitting down?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Wouldn't he have felt a wet or sticky sensation as soon as he sat down?" Roxas continued. "How could he have not noticed anything until he tried getting up?"

"Um…"

Before Sora could explain, they all heard a ripping sound from Zexion's direction. The four of them turn to see Zexion standing at the table with his shirt, tie, and blazer still intact, but without pants, instead standing there in purple boxer briefs while his navy slacks were stuck to the chair in tatters.

"Fuck!" he shouted.

Sora and friends could barely stifle their sniggers. Just then, the librarian walked over to Zexion, no doubt hearing him curse.

"Swearing in the library," she spoke in a monotone. "And indecent exposure. Two violations of school conduct worth writing you up for Wednesday Night School."

Zexion's jaw dropped. "What? But-but… My pants-"

The librarian ignored him as she wrote up a slip.

"I- I was the one who was wronged, Miss. Some assholes must've put a substance on my chair-"

"Language," she scolded in the same monotone. "Or I'll add in a Thursday Night School as well."

"Do you know who I am?" Zexion cried indignantly.

The librarian raised a brow. "A reject from My Chemical Romance?"

Sora, Roxas, Riku, and Axel could no longer contain their laughter. What made this even funnier was that the librarian looked to be in her late fifties. Sora found it hilarious that she even knew what My Chemical Romance was.

Zexion growled as he snatched the slip from the librarian. He grabbed his book and stomped off towards the exit, but not before noticing Sora and the gang.

"I know you dickwads had something to do with this," Zexion said with malice. "I'd watch your backs if I were you, because I will have my revenge!"

The gang's eyes trailed down, laughing harder.

"**What?!" **Zexion shouted.

"I think it's your backside that will be watched," Axel gasped, wiping tears from his eyes.

Zexion raised an eyebrow, but then noticed he felt a light breeze around his buttocks…

He figured out what the problem was.

"Oh no," the rich kid muttered.

He held his book behind him in front of the exposed area, and proceeded to the exit as fast as he could, with students all staring at him, with either looks of bizarre confusion or cackling amusement.

"Way to go, man," Riku congratulated, patting Sora on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Axel agreed. "That was definitely the funniest thing I've seen in my whole time here."

Sora smiled at the praise, and also felt himself redden up.

"It's nothing," he muttered.

"Are you kidding?" Riku laughed. "It's about time someone put that asshole in his place."

Roxas merely shook his head. "You know he's serious about getting revenge. It might take him a couple of weeks to actually come up with something, but he won't stop until we're just as humiliated as he is."

Sora shrugged as students came over to give their congrats. "A couple of weeks is all I need."

It seems like this really will be Sora's best year of high school.

Zexion stormed through the elevator doors of his father's penthouse apartment and headed directly to the home office.

"Father!" he shouted. "I need the number for your best hitmen!"

Zexion's father was facing a window overlooking the downtown of Destiny Islands, cell phone held close to his ear, and unoccupied hand grasping at his long, messy silver hair.

"Yes, I understand," he said. "I don't care where you dump the body as long as it can't be traced back to me. Uh huh. Yes. Not my problem."

He then hung up his cellphone and rubbed his temples.

"Didn't you hear me, father?" Zexion asked impatiently. "I want to hire somebody from your contact list to take care of a pest at school."

His father did not respond.

"Xemnas!" Zexion snapped.

Xemnas glared at his son.

"First, you must always address me as father, boy," he growled. "Second, don't you remember the last time you wanted to hire professional help to take care of someone at your school you didn't like?"

"But Father," Zexion pressed. "This time it's different."

It was at this moment that Xemnas noticed his son wasn't wearing any pants. He smirked.

"Well, that's what you get for trying to skip out on paying escorts," he chuckled.

Zexion growled in frustration. "No, it was a prank! Some new kid thought it would be funny to glue my ass to a library chair!"

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. "And this is my problem because…?"

"I want justice!" Zexion shouted, stomping his foot.

"Quit acting like a child," Xemnas scolded. "Have all my lessons in dealing with your enemies just diminished from your memory? If you want revenge, make him suffer, take away all the things that give him joy and savor his misery."

"You also taught me to always take the smart option as well," Zexion pointed out. "And I figured it would be easier to just order his death."

Xemnas shook his head. "Death is not the worst thing a human being can endure. Slowly torturing them, to the point where they beg for death, and you refuse to give them it and instead torture them more…"

Xemnas' lips twisted into a savory grin. "That is the best form of revenge."

Xemnas then paused in an afterthought. "Plus, killing him will draw too much attention, and I don't think even I can cover up the death of a high schooler."

"I don't even know anything about this kid though," Zexion argued. "I don't know how to make him suffer."

Xemnas sighed. "Then _find_ out about him, do research."

Xemnas walked over to his desk and pressed a button on his intercom.

"Xigbar, Luxord, come up to my office," he ordered.

Zexion turned as his father's two closest advisors came into the office in a matter of seconds. They lived in separate apartments right below the penthouse so that they could always show up when needed.

"What's up, boss?" Xigbar asked casually. Zexion always felt a little creeped out by the man's eyepatch, feeling like there was an x-ray eye secretly behind it, always watching him.

"This won't take long will it?" Luxord asked in a bored tone. "I'm supposed to go downtown to play in a poker tournament in about an hour, and I have a winning streak that I don't wish to break."

"Gentlemen," Xemnas started. "My son needs to be made aware of the importance of humiliating his enemies. Would you care to help?"

Xigbar and Luxord grinned.

"Of course, boss," Xigbar replied.

Luxord broke out a violin and started playing a few notes. "You see boy, the key to becoming a ruthless business man like your old man is to openly acknowledge your evilness, and not just act like a wanker."

"I didn't come for advice on being evil," Zexion protested. "I just wanted help in getting reven-"

"Shut up Zexion," Xemnas said as he grabbed a black cane resting on the shelf behind him. "And let me refresh you on our family nature."

Xemnas cleared his throat and started to sing.

"_When the devil's too busy, and death a bit too much," _

He twirled his cane as he moved behind his son.

"_They call on me by name you see, for my special touch." _

He put an arm around Zexion and guided him out of the office.

"_To the gentlemen, I'm misfortune. To the ladies, I'm surprise." _

Xemnas sat Zexion down at the dining table and walked around to the opposite end, with Luxord, still playing the violin, joining him.

"_But call me by any name, any way it's all the same…" _

There was a short pause. Then, to Zexion's disgust, Xigbar placed a bowl of soup with a fly in it right in front of him.

"_I'm the fly in your soup," _

Zexion got up from the table and tried to go out the front door, but his father stopped him and stamped his foot with his cane.

"_I'm the pebble in your shoe," _

Jumping on one foot while holding the other, Zexion hopped to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed, only for Luxord to pop up from underneath it, holding a small green pea.

"_I'm the pea beneath your bed," _

Zexion jumps from the bed and runs into Xemnas at the doorway.

"_I'm a bump on every head," _Xemnas sang as he bopped Zexion with his cane.

Zexion glared behind him, not noticing the banana peel placed outside his room, slipping on it and falling over.

"_I'm the peel on which you slip," _

Zexion yelped as he felt a prick in his side, and turned to the left to see Xigbar holding a pin.

"_I'm a pin in every hip, I'm the thorn in your thigh that makes you wriggle and writhe." _

Xemnas then dragged Zexion into the elevator, with everyone else following.

"_And it's so easy when you're evil," _Xemnas sang. _"This is the life you see, the devil tips his hat to me," _

Once the elevator reached the lobby, Xemnas promptly kicked Zexion out and followed soon after.

"_I do it all because I'm evil, and I do it all for free…" _

Xemnas then turns to a teenage girl walking past them.

"Your boyfriend thinks of you as nothing more than a sex object and will throw you away as soon as he gets what he wants from you. Also you dress like a skank."

The girl runs off crying, while Xemnas smiled.

"_Your tears are all the payment that I need!" _

Xemnas struts down the lobby with his lackeys and son right behind him. He then takes a lollipop from a young child, who then starts to cry.

"_While there's children to make sad, while there's candy to be had," _

Xemnas then holds up a wallet while a man a couple of meters away is patting his pockets in confusion.

"_While there's pockets left to pick," _

Xemnas proceeded to walk over to the emergency stairs and walked through the door leading to them. He then uses his cane to cause an old woman to fall down the stairs. He waved happily as she tumbled.

"_While there's grannies left to trip down the stairs I'll be there, I'll be waiting around the corner, it's a game I'm glad I'm in it, 'cause there's one born every minute." _

He and his cronies plus son then marched down the lobby to the currently in use dance hall.

"_And it's so easy when you're evil, this is the life you see, the devil tips his hat to me, _

_I do it all because I'm evil, and I do it all for free…" _

Xemnas stopped by the entrance to the hall, pulled out a Sharpie marker, and drew a mustache on a rather expensive looking painting.

"_Your tears are all the payment that I need!" _

Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose as his father, Xigbar, and Luxord got on the stage and started dancing. It was an intermittent tap dance, with Xemnas swinging his cane around, making Zexion both dizzy from watching and his head throbbing from the tapping.

"_I pledge my allegiance, tooooo all things dark and I, _

_Promise on my damned soul. To. Do as I am told," _

He then pulled out a copy of _Paradise Lost _and opened to a full page illustration of Lucifer.

"_Lord Beelzebub has never seen a soldier quite like me," _

Xemnas tossed the book aside with a salute.

"_Who not only does his job, but does it happily," _

The dance hall is lit with a red tinge, shining on Xemnas, who was giving a maniacal look off to Zexion and anyone else unfortunate enough to be in the hall at the time of Xemnas' arrival. His shadow grew to enormous proportions on the wall south of him, a behemoth watching over his prey.

"_I'm the fear that keeps you awake, _

_I'm the shadows on the wall, _

_I'm the monsters they become, _

_I'm the nightmare in your skull," _

He walks down into the audience, grinning as the patrons either stared at him in fright or confusion.

"_I'm a dagger in your back, _

_An extra turn upon the rack, _

_I'm the quivering of your heart, _

_A stabbing pain, a sudden start!" _

Xemnas thrusts his hips in all directions, leaving Zexion to cover his face in embarrassment.

"_And it's so easy when you're evil, _

_This is the life you see, the devil tips his hat to me, _

_I do it all because I'm evil, _

_And I do it all for free…" _

Zexion could tell that Xemnas was approaching the end, as his tone was growing with more and more finality.

"_Your tears are the only payment that I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedddddd! Hahahahahahaha. Mwahahaahahahahahahahaha! Ahhahahahahahaahahahahahahaha!" _

Xemnas just stood there, continuing to laugh manically. The members of the audience decided that then would be a good time to make their escape, rushing out of the hall as fast as they could. Zexion meanwhile, ignored his father, and started entertaining his own thoughts, ironically in the tune of the song his father just sang.

"_So I have to play on Sora's weakness, _

_Find something to crush him with, _

_And watch as he feels what I felt. _

_But what can I use to destroy him?" _

"Oh, and Zexion," Xemnas breathed after he was done laughing. "Remind me in a week that I'm supposed to call a school board meeting to discuss the budget."

At that, Zexion had an idea.

An awful idea.

Zexion had an awful… well, certainly not wonderful, idea.

"Father," Zexion asked politely. "May I have access to the files of the student who humiliated me?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'll get you my login information later. Now if you excuse me, I'm in the mood for a margarita. Hey Luxord, the poker game is at Juarez Cantina, right?"

"Right you are mate," Luxord confirmed.

Zexion proceeded to let out a little of an evil chuckle as well.

"Ah, Sora, my friend, have you ever heard the old Destiny Islands proverb 'revenge is a dish best served cold'? Well…"

He then realized that his reference wouldn't work due to Destiny Island's tropical climate. So, he shrugged and chuckled some more.

**A/N: Phew, that was definitely one of the longest chapters I've written. Hope you enjoyed it, and can't wait to get out the next one! **

**Reviews are always welcome**


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